having your party legislate opposing votes out of existence, as happened in Florida?

Even before polls closed on election night in Florida, Gore-paid telemarketers made thousands of phone calls to Palm Beach Democrats suggesting and encouraging complaints of voter confusion. Remember the outrage claimed about inadvertent votes for Pat Buchanan? This included both direct and reverse claims of racism: 1) blacks would never vote for Buchanan (except that his running mate was, in fact, black, and 2) Jewish voters would never vote for Buchanan; after all, they claimed, he's an anti-Semite!

Only two people complained to their respective precincts about the ballots while the election was going on. It wasn't until the Gore campaign unleashed a massive telemarketing scheme asking, "Did you have a problem with voting and the ballot?" of thousands of Florida voters they called did people begin to complain. "If you did, then you must report it because it is crucial to the Gore campaign," the telemarketers told voters.

Then Gore sought to recount the votes only in the counties where he might win. Also he sought to disenfranchise thousands people casting write in ballots.

The poor looser lost anyway.

PS: The current decline in the American economy began in the spring of 2000 on Clinton's watch and Bush inherited it.

Old Guy